


Heart of War

by tinakris



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 11:32:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7975333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinakris/pseuds/tinakris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU - "The 100" as fantasy instead of sci-fi - When Clarke's friends are abducted by mysterious cloaked figures, she eventually finds herself personally invested in the impending apocalypse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real go at fan fiction, please be gentle with my poor soul. It's a work in progress, and even though I have a very clear idea of how the whole story will play out; I have no idea how many chapters it will end up having! But let's say that the first three chapters I'm posting now in one go - is basically just the very beginning, and the story has a long way to go.
> 
> Hopefully you'll be able to get through the slow start and stick with the story as it unfolds! 
> 
> Also, feedback is appreciated! I'm well aware that my writing is incredibly rusty (I haven't really written properly in several years) which is why I decided to not post the whole finished story in one go. I need practise. I don't have a beta reader either, so apologies for any errors or difficult sentences.
> 
> I've had this fic idea brewing inside my head for several months, and now I finally sat down and started to actually write it.  
> It's an AU - with the sci-fi setting of the show being replaced with a fantasy setting. Oh yes, we're talking elves and magic and the whole lot.  
> I've taken inspiration from both the grounder culture in the show (you'll notice some simple trigedasleng here and there, as well as several grounder themes being present) as well as folklore, lore from various medias, all mixed with my own twists and etc. Safe to say; there's no definite lore I'm following, so if you like general fantasy: you'll most likely get the gist of it.
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy and give it a shot!

     "I'll bet you twenty credits that I'll get to the first trading point before you," Raven smirked, and fixed her intoxicated gaze right into Wells' eyes.

  
     Wells took a sip from his mug before placing it down on the table between them, and crossed his arms. "Fifteen credits."

  
     "Oh, come on, you can't barter on a bet, dumbass."

  
     "Hey, we'll be dragging a wagon along with us. You'll just be running through the woods like it's nothing."

  
     "But you'll be getting a ten minute head start! And you guys combined have four good legs, I only have one."

  
     Finn leaned back in his chair and rested his hands at the back of his head. "You two leave me out of this. I already know Raven will win, it's up to Wells if he wants to throw away twenty credits on his pride."

  
     "Fifteen credits!" Wells replied, pointing a finger at Raven.

  
     "Fine," Raven sighed. "Fifteen credits. Shake on it?"

  
     Raven and Wells nodded and shook hands, before all three friends clinked their mugs together. They were seated at the Blackberry Inn - though an uncreative name, it was the only inn on the Skaikru island. And being the only inn at an island out at sea, the Blackberry Inn's mugs were filled with ale every single night. And on this particular night, a few bards accompanied the drunken chatter of the inn with uplifting flutes and drums.

  
     The drunken chatter of the inn broke out into a cheerful couple of yells, as the doors opened and revealed their clan Princess standing next to her personal guardsman. This night was no special occasion, and seeing the head of the clan finding herself a cup of ale at the local inn just because she wanted to; was a pleasant sight.

  
     "Princess! You look wonderful as ever! Sit with us!" one group called at her.

  
     "Oh don't join them over there! They reek of old fish guts!" another group yelled even higher, making her grin.

  
     "Sorry guys, she's ours for tonight," Raven said as she stood up from her chair. "Hey, Clarke," she smiled, and embraced her clan leader.

- 

     A few good laughs, light-hearted conversations, and quite a few jugs of ale later; it was far past midnight, and most of the inn was half-asleep in their chairs or snoring at home in their beds. These four friends though - Clarke, Raven, Finn, and Wells - were still going strong, all though most of them had been yawning for the past thirty minutes or so.

  
     Clarke was very fond of the fact that she could enjoy a good night with her friends without the rest of the clan straightening their backs and minding their tongues around her. She was their leader and their Princess - a title she actively loathed - but she was just as much part of them as they were part of her. At least that's what she had the impression of. Though, Clarke had not been the clan leader for long; four months had passed since her father was buried and the fate of her people was placed in her hands. She was brought up to understand that she would one day lead her people, but she never truly fathomed it, and she certainly didn't expect it to happen at the mere age of nineteen.

  
     "Psst," Raven whispered, and narrowed her eyes towards the back of Clarke's guardsman, who was hunched over the bar, tired as ever. "Looks like the puppy dozed off. Isn't he supposed to guard you?"

  
     "Be easy on him, would you? Apparently his sister has been tiring him out - rebelling in any way she can," Clarke responded. "Besides, there isn't really much of a threat here."

  
     Wells stared at Raven. "Did you just call him 'puppy'?" He let his stare fall to Finn. "Finn, how does this make you feel?"

  
     Finn raised an eyebrow at him, mostly because Wells' drunken personality had a tendency to annoy him. "He's a shape shifter, genius."

  
     "He is?" Wells started laughing, a lot louder than he intended to. "Does he really turn into a puppy?"

  
     Clarke and Finn sighed in unison.

  
     "Actually," a gravelly voice hummed from the bar. "I turn into a wolf. But unlike your friend over there; I don't eat people's faces off."

  
     "No one asked you," Raven gritted her teeth, staring down at the table, peeved and seemingly bruised by his words.

  
     "Hey, Bellamy," Finn told the guardsman. "Not cool."

  
     The comedown of alcohol consumption was starting to show on the group of friends. Accompanied by their yawns, they decided it was time to head for their sleeping chambers. Finn and Wells were travelling to the first mainland clan, Trikru, to trade and barter the following day - and a few hours of sleep would be better than none. Especially when Wells had fifteen credits on the line, and Raven - being Skaikru's most skilled hunter - was sure to win.

\-----

     Clarke opened her eyes as little as she could, and exhaled deeply as the light of the room filled her eyelids. She stretched her arms and legs, and ended up yawning; realizing how dry her mouth was. She flared open her eyes and blinked excessively, scrunching her nose and sighing several times. She was in bed, arms and legs spread out like a starfish, and even though her massive bed made her feel small and lonely at times - this time she was glad she was alone, because she figured she must have looked foolishly comical while adjusting to the brightness of a new day. She turned her gaze to her nightstand, relieved to see a giant glass of water waiting for her, most likely placed there by her mother earlier that morning.

  
     With fresh water splashed on her face - and a good deal inside her stomach to deal with the dehydration from the previous night - she was now fully clothed in her signature dark-blue armour and ready to get on with her seemingly uneventful day. A belt with pouches of medical concoctions and sheaths for her trusted daggers hung to her hip, and her wild blonde hair was secured with a pin at the back. With only four months of leadership behind her; she couldn’t quite shake her previous profession of healing, and rarely left her room without some herbs or concoctions ready for use.

  
     Without any political situations on her agenda; Clarke decided to take a stroll through the streets and markets on the island. The Skaikru clan resided on - the simply named - Skaikru island, which mostly sheltered them from the twelve other clans of the mainland. The only way to the mainland, whether it would be for trade, politics, migration, or whatever reason one would have for going to the mainland; was by boat. Being such a distance away from other clans; Skaikru rarely got involved in the daily struggles of bordering clans, and they were an easy target for jealousy and envy. Especially from Trikru and Floukru, the two clans closest on the mainland. Skaikru were known for having excellent healers, traders, and scholars - as well as having respectable warriors and hunters, despite hardly needing either of them. Having decent traders was a critical part of Skaikru, seeing as living on an island gave little wildlife and source for food and fur - but in return, they had a bountiful green island full of berries, plants, and herbs that didn't grow anywhere else.

  
     Clarke was met by warm smiles and free samples of food from the stalls in the busiest street of the island. The sun was strong, and the sky was the clearest blue the eye could see. The constant smell of salt water hung in the air, and the busy stalls were full of sizzling fish in pans, clinks and clanks of equipment being made and tested, and chitter chatter.

  
     "How's Octavia?" Clarke asked, staring up at her guardsman as they walked through the streets.

  
     "She's okay, I guess. I don't really think she knows how she is herself," he replied. Bellamy's voice had a constant low and gravelly touch to it - whether this was his natural voice or his broodiness transforming it, was unsure to say. He was at the age of twenty-five, with a handsome face almost hidden behind tussled black locks and a slight stubble to his chin. Being Clarke's personal guardsman; he usually sported a single blue line of war paint across his right eye - which was a telltale of being affiliated with the leader of the Skaikru clan. He seemingly only cared about his little sister and his duties, but Clarke enjoyed Bellamy's company - she saw him as an intelligent albeit silent older cousin whom she felt a bond of trust to.

  
     "She's trying her luck at healing. She's been learning from your mother," he said.

  
     "Hopefully she'll bear my mom's strict expectations," Clarke replied.

  
     "Hopefully your mother will bear my sister's poor patience," he smiled.

\-----

     After giving Finn and Wells a twenty minute head start - which was originally supposed to be only ten, but the ferryman insisted on a tobacco break before getting the boat ready for more passengers - Raven made her way through the Trikru forest. The first trading point was by a fork in the road not far from the giant mountain at the heart of Trikru land. Finn and Wells were restricted to using the roads, seeing as they were dragging the trading wagon full of berries, plants, and medical concoctions along.

  
     Raven however, being a nimble archer and hunter, made her way through the trees and bushes fairly easily - despite her left leg. Her left leg lacking a huge chunk of muscle and flesh, which she never hid, wearing skin fitted leather leggings that showed every indent of her mutilated leg - for even though she wasn't proud of her curse; she sure as hell wouldn't hide it. Raven's curse was a gruesome one, one that had followed her since the age of eleven - attacked by a raging werewolf that nearly gnawed off her entire leg. It was a miracle that Raven could even walk at all, but thanks to the chief healer, Clarke's mother - Abby, and her powerful healing concoctions; if Raven gulped down one vial of this liquid every day - she could at least put some weight on her bad leg.

  
     The Trikru forests were incredibly lush and full of life. While Skaikru island had an unmatched striking green glow due to its fresh air and grass - the forests of Trikru had massive trees and an alluring dark green tint to it, making it a highly desired spot for hunting, and for wood-elves who loved to hide in trees and breathe in the heavy air of leaves and wildlife.

  
     Raven hid behind a tree, eyeing the trading spot. She smiled to herself as she saw that neither Finn nor Wells had made an appearance yet. "Those fifteen credits are mine," she whispered.

  
     She waited a fair few minutes, before she heard two familiar voices coming closer to the fork in the road.

  
     Finn and Wells pulled up to the stop, and Wells gave a great big "HA!" before grinning and cheering, trying to get Finn to cheer as well.

  
     But Raven grinned the hardest, as she waited for him to settle his excitement, before she would leap out and surprise them, and really rub it in Wells' face that he lost the bet. That was, before she noticed that something was off, the gentle chirping of birds in the trees grew silent, and the air felt cold.

  
     Raven saw two cloaked figures, hoods so massive that she couldn't make out a face, stepping out from the trees behind her friends. She opened her mouth to warn them, but before she was able to scream; the cloaked figures simply waved their hands, and both Finn and Wells fell flat on the ground.

  
     She reached for her bow, getting ready to plonk down the mysterious figures who now circled around her friends. She drew an arrow, aiming her best at one of the figures.

  
     Without ever letting go of an arrow - more cloaked figures stepped out from the trees and surrounded Finn, Wells, and the wagon. Raven froze. She could take down two, but a whole group seemed unlikely. Besides, Raven didn't just feel outnumbered; she felt an unshakable sense of sheer fear that overpowered her will to save her friends - even when one of those friends held a special part of her soul.

  
     The cloaked figures now emptied the trading wagon, and replaced the goods with Finn and Wells' limp bodies, and pulled the wagon away, to the road closest to the mountain.

  
     Finally, when every cloaked figure was out of sight, Raven managed to snap out of her frozen state, her eyes wild, and ran as fast as she could back towards the island.

\-----

     "No, no, no! What do you think you're doing?" Abby shouted.

  
     "Uhm, helping!" Octavia replied, pouring a blue liquid into a bowl filled with grey powder. "I'm doing exactly as you said."

  
     "You're doing the exact opposite of what I said," Abby snapped, and pulled the vial of blue liquid away from Octavia's hands. "A few more drops of that and this entire hut would be burnt to the ground."

  
     Octavia rolled her eyes and slouched down on a chair. She had been practising the arts of healing for about a week, and was growing tired of cooking up concoctions and not using her actual hands to heal someone's cuts and bruises.

  
     "How many times do I have to tell you? Healing roots in medicine. Plants, herbs. You can't just wave your hands and someone will be free of pain," Abby explained.

  
     "Yes you can, I've seen you do it!" Octavia chipped in, explaining with her hands.

  
     Abby's lips curved even further down than usual, and she stared at the brown-haired girl slouched in the chair. "You can't always use magic to heal someone. We're not elves."

  
     "I'm a shape shifter though, that has to count for something?"

  
     Abby closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "First of all," she began, but was interrupted by the door swinging open. "Thank the stars," she muttered to herself as she saw her daughter at the door, and she greeted her with a warm hug.

  
     "Do we have a new healer in the clan?" Clarke asked, giving a nod at Octavia.

  
     "I'll spare Abby the condescending 'oh she just has a lot to learn' speech and say that no way in hell am I becoming a healer," Octavia spat.

  
     Bellamy seared his eyes into his sister, furious over her responding to anyone this way, but even more so when it was the clan leader, on top of that - his friend.

  
     "Well, it's not for everyone," Clarke replied. "You'll find your calling soon enough." She walked with her mother towards the table of ingredients, her face lighting up in excitement to mix something together and feel the rush of making potions again, but Octavia wouldn't keep her mouth shut.

  
     "When? There's nothing for me to do here. We're on an island in the middle of the ocean; I've never even seen the mainland!" Octavia got up from her chair.

  
     Clarke shifted her eyes towards Bellamy and raised her brows - resulting in him lowering his brows at his sister and asking her to leave.

  
     With an offended huff, Octavia stormed out the door.

 

\-----

  
     Out stormed Octavia, and two seconds later, in stormed Raven.

  
     Panting, barely able to stand, Raven had to be held up by Bellamy, to her dismay.

  
     "Raven, wh-" Clarke didn't know what to say. Both she and Abby stood there, puzzled and concerned.

  
     "Someone took them," Raven finally managed to say.

  
     "What?" Clarke replied.

  
     "Finn! Wells! Someone took them!" Raven shouted, and ended up putting all her bodyweight in Bellamy's arms; passed out from exhaustion.


	2. Chapter 2

     "Put her on the bed!" Abby said, voice high, running towards her table of premade concoctions.

  
     Bellamy placed Raven gently down, stepping back with a bewildered look on his face.

  
     Clarke quickly checked her pulse, reassuring Abby that she was okay.

  
     "Good, good, okay," Abby calmed herself down. "Open up that window over there, and you," she started, looking at Bellamy, "go outside. She needs air."

 -

     Fifteen minutes passed before Raven opened her eyes. She was a bit disoriented at best, but when she finally regained her senses, she got the same wild look on her face that she had when she stormed in the door.

  
     "Hey, hey! Calm down, you won't make any sense until you snap out of it," Clarke demanded.

  
     Raven took several deep breaths, before explaining everything she had seen. The cloaked men, the way they made Finn and Wells fall to the ground, how they were simply taken away and how frozen and helpless she felt while watching it all unfold.

  
     Abby was the calmest person in the room now, as Clarke had started to heave her chest far too quickly.

  
     "If this is some kind of joke-" Clarke started.

  
     "You think I would joke about this?!" Raven shouted.

  
     "Hey!" Abby snapped, and clapped her hands together. "Now is not the time to get snippy at each other."

  
     Clarke and Raven fell silent, and Abby went outside and sent Bellamy to find Kane. In any other circumstance, Bellamy would be peeved, having such a status as being the clan Princess' personal guardsman, to being ordered around like a simple errand-boy - but now he simply nodded and ran for Kane.

 -

     Kane stroked his beard and sat down after Raven yet again explained what had happened in Trikru land. Kane was the main advisor in the clan, and had guided both Clarke's father as well as Clarke herself. If anyone would know what to do, it would be him.

  
     "I'm not sure what to make of this," he said. He muttered keywords from Raven's story to himself as he continued to stroke his beard and stare into apparent nothingness. "It could simply be thugs. Trikru thugs with cloaks, for some reason. It could be mages? It could be an illusion as well, how many concoctions are you taking?"

  
     Raven stared at him and shook her head. "It wasn't an illusion."

  
     Abby reassured him that Raven's medication - all though she took a lot of them, especially when a full moon was coming and she had to take vials to stop her transformation - they wouldn't make her see things that didn't exist.

  
     Kane nodded. He stood up and walked towards Clarke. "You should send scouts to Trikru. Tell them to ask for Indra, the clan leader, and see what help she can give them."

  
     "Okay. I'll go with them," Clarke responded.

  
     The room went silent at Clarke's words.

  
     "No offense to your decisions - or bravery, Clarke, but you're needed here. Your people need you here."

  
     "My people have been safe on this island for decades, now my people need me in the mainland, and I'm going. You can take care of my seat while I'm gone," Clarke's voice was firm, and her eyes made it clear that she wasn't backing down.

  
     "I'm going as well," Raven added, and sat at the edge of her bed.

  
     "You can barely stand," Abby replied. "You can join them in a few days, but right now you need rest."

  
     "What I need is to find my friends," Raven hissed.

  
     Clarke looked at her mother. "Pack some extra vials for her. We're leaving in one hour."

\-----

     The boat travelled from Skaikru with a full shipment. Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, two scouts, three guards, and two additional clan members who mostly carried their equipment and belongings, were all lulling with the waves. It was around mid-day, and the sun was thankfully hiding behind a large cloud, sparing them of nasty sunburns that surely wouldn't ease the tension of travelling to another clan - one that wasn't particularly fond of them anyways.

  
     Arriving at the shores of Trikru, Clarke sent the scouts ahead to tell the Trikru leader that they were in need of housing and perhaps a helping hand. Meanwhile, the rest of her accompanied group figured out who should be carrying what, and set out on a slower walk towards Indra's village.

 -

     It was close to evening when Clarke and the rest of her group met up with the scouts.

  
     "Well?" Clarke asked them, pulling them aside to talk with them privately.

  
     "We'll get housing. Shelter," one of them responded. "Don't know much about help though; their leader didn't seem to like us."

  
     "We were very courteous," the other scout added.

  
     "But she'll meet with me?" Clarke quizzed them.

  
     "Aye. But don't expect much," the first one said.

  
     "Not much at all," the other joined in. "She was a busy lady, it seems."

  
     "What do you mean?" Clarke asked. She hadn't realized how odd these scouts were until now, but she wasn't complaining, they had a pep in their step that was much welcomed in a time like this.

  
     "She has other guests. More important guests. All the way from Polis, the capitol that is!" the first scout whispered.

  
     Clarke narrowed her eyes. "Ambassadors?"

  
     Both scouts shook their heads, and leaned closer towards Clarke, whispering even lower. "The Commander!"

  
     "The Commander?"

  
     "Yes. Of all thirteen clans, that is. One and only!"

  
     "But... What is she doing here?"

  
     "We heard whispers of her being here on personal business. No politics involved. She was born here, you know."

  
     Of course Clarke knew that. Everyone knew that. The Commander of the thirteen clans was the most important person in all of the clans, Clarke would be horrified if she didn't know about her utmost superior. But she had never even _seen_ her before, and hearing about the almighty Commander being in the very same woods as herself was a shock she didn't expect to come upon her that evening.

  
     "I think it's supposed to be a secret though," the scouts continued. "The Trikru leader didn't tell us herself, we heard it from beggars in the street. Oh, oh! And we saw her personal guards, they were wearing the red Commander colours."

  
     Clarke nodded, thanked them, and straightened her back as she walked to the rest of her group and let them know that they were being welcomed.

\-----

     After settling in to her new chambers for the time being - which was, surprisingly, just a rather large tent - Clarke pulled out a small box of the Skaikru blue war paint, and drew two lines down her right eye. She performed a quick few breathing techniques she had been taught to calm down stressed-out nerves - she needed that if she were to convince Indra, the Trikru leader, to lend them a helping hand. She had met Indra before, when her father was alive and well and leading Skaikru, and she remembered Indra to only show respect when respect was properly earned. And Clarke feared that showing up out of nowhere, accusing Trikru members of abducting Skaikru members, and then asking the Trikru leader for help - wouldn't really be a nice, respectable gesture.

  
     And a nice, respectable gesture it was not.

  
     Clarke stood in Indra's tent, enduring her spiteful words nearly being spat towards her face, after telling her why she had come to their clan.  
     Indra was an intimidating and fierce leader, and she had a signature stone-cold look that could send shivers down the bravest spine. But her words were far worse than any gaze she could give, and Clarke was learning that the hard way.

  
     "You come into my clan and ask for shelter and help, only to insult my clan-members?" Indra said.

  
     "I never meant to offend anyone," Clarke began.

  
     "Yet, you did."

  
     "I'm sorry. It was never my intention to insult the Trikru clan, but try to see it from my perspective-"

  
     "Seeing things from a blonde, blue-eyed Princess of a green rock in the sea's perspective doesn't sound like something I'd find pleasure in doing."

  
     Clarke exhaled quietly. "Two of my people, my most capable traders, were taken this very morning - in Trikru land. I don't know if they were rogue Trikru members or if they were monstrous creatures, or if they were Ice Nation for all I care, but they took my people - and I mean to get them back. With or without your help."

  
     Indra started pacing slowly around in her tent. "Maybe I don't want to help with shelter either, then what do you do?"

  
     Clarke felt a bubbling rage inside her, and instead of calming her cool; she tried to go for the verbal jugular. "You won't see things from my perspective? Fine. I'll _make_ you. Look at it this way: Skaikru members go missing on Trikru land. Trikru leader refuses to cooperate with Skaikru leader." Clarke was walking slowly towards Indra, expressing each word more animated than the last. "Skaikru leader returns to her people empty-handed. The people want justice, vengeance - and where do they go to seek it? In your very forest."

  
     Indra stood still, trying to stare down Clarke - who wasn't backing down. "Are you threatening me? Threatening to bring a clan war over two mere traders?"

  
     Clarke had to think fast. She had given a fair point, but Indra shot back an even fairer one. Then, Clarke's eyes lit up, and she cocked her head while giving a sly smile. "I want to talk to the Commander, then."

  
     Indra scoffed, to Clarke's slight surprise. "Oh, little girl," Indra laughed. "If you wish to speak with our Commander, I suggest you travel to Polis like everyone else. Send word to your ambassador, maybe? Honestly, I know you're new to your leadership, but this is ridiculous."

  
     Clarke was ready for this one. "But... The Commander is right here. In the forest. And, I don't know about you? But I don't think she'd appreciate a clan war breaking out simply because one clan was too proud to help another."

  
     Indra pursed her lips in annoyance. She walked straight up to Clarke; mere inches away from her face, and studied her. "Fine. But don't blame me if she refuses to talk to you. She's not here on political business, after all."

\-----

     "Holy shit. What the hell, Clarke?" Raven said, partly proud and partly worried.

  
     "I... I don't know," Clarke replied.

  
     "First you actually survive meeting _Indra,_ and now you're _asking_ to meet the Commander?"

  
     "Indra wouldn't help us. I was caught up in the moment."

  
     "No kidding."

  
     Raven was pacing around in Clarke's tent, limping a bit more than usual. Clarke sat by her table, offering Raven multiple times to sit down beside her. But she was too excited to take a seat. It was dark now, but still nowhere near bedtime. Clarke was meeting the Commander that very night, and she didn't feel ready at all. She was still recovering from her altercation with Indra, and a pacing Raven in front of her didn't exactly help.

  
     Bellamy stepped in to Clarke's tent. He stared at the restless Raven, before fixing his gaze towards Clarke. "I think the Commander is almost ready," he said.

  
     "Lords," Raven exhaled. "Good luck, Clarke. I need a drink," she said, before running to the rest of the Skaikru group who were chatting and drinking with Trikru members under the stars.

  
     "Ready?" Bellamy asked. His voice was more mellow than usual, and Clarke couldn't place if it was because he was so far away from his sister, or because he was trying to help Clarke stay calm - she concluded that it was a mix of both.

  
     "Ready," Clarke nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

     Clarke took a final look at the starlit sky while she was escorted to the Commander's tent. For a moment, her breaths felt strangely slow - as if time itself gave her a well-earned rift in time to prepare. After all, that day had gone extremely fast. Just the day prior was a day no way out of the ordinary - and now there she was, far out of her comfort zone in another clan, missing two friends, preparing to convince none other than the Commander of all thirteen clans to help her. _This is a bad idea,_ she thought to herself, as the guards signalled her to step inside the tent.

  
     She took small steps. And even though she was breathing irregularly; she held her composure, spine straight and head held high. She still hadn't let her eyes fall upon the Commander. The tent was much larger than her own, and the guard escorting her was so tall that she couldn't see anything besides a giant armoured arm beside her. That and the flickering of lights.

  
     The guard halted and took a step back, leaving a wide-eyed Clarke standing in the middle of the tent - facing the wrong way. The guard had turned to his side to face the throne and bow. How was Clarke supposed to know the etiquette?

  
     She gulped, turned quickly, and dropped to her knee, all while staring at the ground.

 -

  
     "So. You're Clarke," the Commander said.

  
     Clarke lifted her head at the other woman's voice; it had such a soft edge to it. Clarke finally rested her eyes on the Commander - and for some reason, what struck her was calmness. She had entered the tent nervous, terrified, dropped to her knee in embarrassment, but now her breathing was smooth and she felt her face rest. What a strange notion to feel in such an awestruck situation.

  
     "Yes," Clarke responded, a slight hoarseness to her voice.

  
     "Clarke Kom Skaikru," the Commander nodded, and gestured Clarke to stand up with a flick of her wrist.

  
     "Lexa Kom Trikru," Clarke replied as she stood up. She wanted to prove that even though she apparently didn't know the proper etiquette; at least she knew who her Commander was. "Heda," she finished, as she bowed slightly.

  
     Lexa sat on her wooden throne, one leg crossed over the other, and her arms resting on the throne's sides. Her signature black war paint and red sash were prominently on display, and she bore an analyzing and cold look on her otherwise fair face.

  
     "Well," Lexa began. "Indra briefed me of your situation."

  
     "Does that mean you'll help?" Clarke asked. She figured that the Commander wouldn't agree to meet with her if she didn't have any intention of helping.

  
     "She said you threatened to start a clan war," Lexa continued. Her sentences had many pauses - whether she was annoyed or had a flare for dramatics; Clarke couldn't tell. "Over two men who disappeared just earlier this day. I'm aware Skaikru leads sheltered lives, Clarke, but this is not a way to act."

  
     "I asked for her help. And she barely listened to me."

  
     "I suppose she had her reasons."

  
     Clarke wasn't so calm anymore. She was definitely not there to meet the Commander simply to receive a lecture. "Two of my people were taken on Trikru land by cloaked figures, I'm not going to let that slide."

  
     Lexa cocked her head, before she left her throne and walked towards Clarke.

  
     Clarke's heart fluttered slightly, but quickly stopped as soon as the Commander's footsteps did, a few meters away.

  
     "Leave us," Lexa told her guards, nonchalantly raising her arm. "Take a seat," she then told Clarke, and nodded towards the round dining table that was placed at one side of her tent.

 -

     Clarke and Lexa now sat alone, a table between them. Clarke's mind wandered to different ideas and conclusions, but ultimately she was puzzled by the Commander's actions. _Surely she didn't take time out of her busy schedule to lecture a clan leader on how to behave_ , Clarke thought to herself.

  
     "Tell me about the cloaked figures," Lexa demanded. Her green eyes bore into Clarke's.

  
     "Indra didn't mention that part?"

  
     "She mentioned that the witness was a hunter. A Skaikru hunter in Trikru woods, you can understand that this doesn't sound promising."

  
     Clarke then realized that Indra didn't just refuse to help out of spite - but that Skaikru were now under question for breaking hunting rules. Not just that, but that both the Trikru leader and now the Commander, had a theory that Skaikru might be trying to trick them. "We might not have a lot of wildlife on our island, but our hunters never hunt elsewhere. The traders fix our food and fur. And now they're missing."

  
     Lexa continued to study Clarke's face. "Tell me about the cloaked figures," she repeated.

  
     And so Clarke told the Commander everything that Raven had told her, in every detail she remembered.

 -

  
     Lexa's response was an ever so silent "hmm."

  
     "Do you know who they are?" Clarke's eyes lit up.

  
     "No," Lexa responded, and noticed how Clarke's eyes fell sad again. "But I've heard of similar cases."

  
     "Similar cases? Here? With people being taken?"

  
     Lexa stood up from her chair and walked towards another table in her tent, one with food and drinks on it.

  
     Clarke followed.

  
     Lexa poured a goblet full of dark red wine and handed it to Clarke, then proceeded to pour one for herself.

  
     Clarke felt eager and hopeful yet again, waiting for Lexa to continue speaking. If she wasn't so focused on getting her friends back; her pulse would have risen and given a large beat, feeling the warm wine go down, standing next to the eloquent and surprisingly charming Commander. In fact, her pulse _did_ rise, but she pushed the sensation to the back of her mind - and thought of her missing friends instead.

  
     "I didn't come here for politics. But I heard whispers of clanspeople disappearing in every village I visited. Some of them mentioned hooded men," Lexa explained.

  
     Clarke felt her stomach turn in knots. She thought that some rebellious Trikru members had taken her friends - but hearing about even more people disappearing, who hadn't returned; she didn't realize just how worried she should've been until that moment.

  
     "My plan was to head for Polis tomorrow," Lexa said. "But I think I might extend my stay in Trikru. At least until we have a clear image of the disappearances. I'll make sure Indra understands that you will be cooperating, not plotting."

  
     "Thank you," Clarke replied, her voice relieved.

 

     Lexa stared at her, letting her eyes do the rest of the talking. She was good at that.

- 

  
     The two of them eyed each other for some moments - Clarke breaking eye contact more often than Lexa. There was a silence between them, and neither could quite figure out how to fill it. The silence wasn't of an awkward nature though - it was more of that same sense of calmness Clarke had sensed earlier, mixed with a mutual hint of wonder and curiosity. The light in the tent was still flickering, due to an excessive amount of candles spread around - causing a flattering soft glow in the air.

  
     "This wine is really g-" Clarke tried to break the silence.

  
     "We'll start gathering scout parties at first sunlight tomorrow," Lexa broke the silence louder, not breaking off Clarke’s words on purpose.

  
     "Tomorrow? Why not now?" Clarke asked.

  
     "You're personally invested in this, aren't you?" Lexa replied stiffly.

  
     "My people are missing, of course I'm personally invested," Clarke tried her best not to sound too offended.

  
     Lexa sighed. "Looking for cloaked men in the dark of night with no proper time to plan is the worst idea I could think of in this situation."

  
     Clarke didn't dare look her in the eye.

  
     "I suggest you get some sleep, Clarke."

  
     Clarke gave an affirmed sigh, and let her eyes rest on the Commander a good while before she left the tent, in search of her own.


End file.
